Piano attachment.



No. 700,726. Patented May 27, |902. G. L. C. BURGl-L PIANO ATTACHMENT.

(Application med Ap!" 29, 1901.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(llo MndeL) No. 700,726. Patented May 27, |902. G. L. C. BORCH.

PIANO ATTACHMENT.

I (Application Bled Ayr. 22, 1901.) (N o Modul.)` 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

GASTON LOUIS CHRISTOPHER BORCH, OF DULUTI-I, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OFONE-HALF TO HUGH F. ALLAN, OF DULUTH, MINNESOTA.

PIANO ATTACHMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. l700,726, dated May 27,1902.

Application filed April 22, 1901. Serial No. 57.008. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, GASTON LoUIs CHRIS- TOPHER BOROH, a citizen of theKingdom of Norway, residing at Duluth, (whose postoflice address is No.9245 East Second street,)

in the county of St. Louis and State of Minnesota, 'have invented newand useful Improvements in Piano Attachments, of which the following isa specification.

ro This invention relates to improvements in piano attachments, and ismore especially designed as an attachment for intensifying andsustaining the Vibrations of the piano.

The object of the invention is to provide an I5 attachment of thecharacter stated by which the vibrations of a piano are sustained,thereby intensifying the quality of tone and rendering the same fullerand sweeter, but obviating any metallic tone which the piano 2o may havea tendency to produce.

A further object of the invention is to provide an attachment of theclass described which is designed also for use in connection with oldpianos for the purpose of restoring to the same a considerablepercentage of their former resonant qualities.

With these and other objects in View, which will appear as the nature ofthe improvements is better understood, the invention con- 3o sists,substantially, in the novel construction, combination, and arrangementof parts, as will be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of a piano, looking atthe rear side thereof, provided with a series of the herein describedattachments. Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof, partly broken away tomore clearly illustrate the manner of connecting the attachments withthe piano. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View, on an enlarged scale, ofthe means for regulating the tone of the attachment. Fig. 4 is atransverse sectional view of the attachment to illustrate itscrosssectional contour.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral l designates a piano, and 2 thesounding-board thereof, which is of the usual construction.

5o As before premised, it is the object of the present invention tointensify and sustain the vibrations of the sounding-board, and to theaccomplishment of this end the attachment which will now be described isemployed. 5 5

The numeral 3 designates the body of the attachment, which body may beformed of manganesesteel, brass, copper, nickel, or any other desiredmaterial, and said body is substantially semicircular in cross-sectional6o contour, as clearly shown in Fig. 4.. The upper and lower ends of thebody 3 are pointed, as at et, and secured to the lower end is aconnecting-strip 5, which strip is attached to the bottom of thepiano-frame in order to sustain the attachment in proper relation to thesounding-board. Fixedly connected to the upper end of the body 3 is ascrew-threaded shank 6, and said shank passes through and lies within anL.shaped fastening-bracket 7, 7o secured to the. back of the piano, asclearly shown. The shank 6 is providedwith an adjusting-nut S, said nutresting upon the upper side of the bracket 7, and'it is thus obviousthat through the medium of the nut 8 75 the attachment Inay be tensionedto any desired extent in order to impart thereto the desired tone tocorrespond with the tones transmitted from the sounding-board at theparticular point to which the attachment is applied.

In order to transmit the sound from the sounding-board to theattachment, a strip 9 is employed, and said stripis preferably formed ofpine wood, although itis obvious that any S5 other suitablesoundtransmitting material may be employed. With the strip 9 in oontactwith the sounding board, as clearly shown, it is perfectly obvious thatthe vibrations of the sounding-board will be transmit- 9o ted to theattachment, and as the latter is formed of resonant material it is alsoapparent that the attachment will sustain and intensify the sound-wavesissuing from the sounding-board.

In use a piano is provided with a set of the herein-describedattachments, the set numbering five, and each ofthe attachments is ofdifferent size in order to produce the different vibrationscorresponding to the vibrations of the sounding-board. By adjusting thenuts S upon the Shanks 6 the proper tone IOO may be imparted to theattachments, Which should be D, E-iiat, E-natural, G, and A, whichfundamental notes also produce their corresponding harmonics. Each toneof the chromatic scale is represented in one or more of the fiveattachments, and every note struck on the piano to which the attachmentsare 'connected finds its correspondent in the vibrations of theattachments. It is therefore obvious that the sound issuing from thesounding-board is fully transmitted to the attachments, and the latterintensify and sus- `tain the sounds, but not with a tendency to producea metallic ring. The quality of the tone is therefore more singing andnecessarily becomes fuller and sweeter. The attachment is alsoadvantageous in being employed in connection With old pianos, and by theuse of the same a large percentage of the former singing qualities ofold pianos are restored.

While the form of the invention herein shown and described is what isbelieved to be a preferable embodiment thereof, it is obvious that thesame is susceptible of various changes in the form, proportion, andminor details of construction, and the rightis therefore reserved tomodify or .vary the invention as falls Within the spirit and scopethereof.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination with a piano, of a series of independent soundsustainers and intensifiers arranged in juxtaposition to thesounding-board thereof, and having at their ends means for securing thesame in position, sound-transmitting strips interposed between the saidsounding-board and said sound-susrow/2e tainers, and means for adjustingeach of said sound-sustainers independently of the others.

2. The combination with a piano, of a series of independent soundsustainers and intensiiiers arranged in juxtaposition to thesounding-board thereof, each of said sound sustainers and intensiersbeing of semicircular cross-sectional contour, and having at their endsmeans for securing the same in position, sound-transmitting stripsinterposed between the said sounding-board and said sound-sustainers sothat their outer ends contact With the inner surface of the saidsoundsustainers, and means for adjusting each of said sound-sustainersindependently of the others.

3. The combination with a piano having a series of brackets secured tothe back thereof, of a series of independent sound sustainers andintensiiiers arranged in juxtaposition to the sounding-board thereof,each of said sound sustainers and intensifiers being ofsemicircularcross-sectional contour,and having at one end means forsecuring the same in position and having at their opposite endsscrew-threaded shanks adapted to pass through the said brackets,sound-transmitting strips interposed between the said sounding-board andsaid sound-sustainers, and nuts on the ends of the said screw-threadedShanks

